:grouphug:Paige:grouphug: I hope everything works out for you -- and your son sounds like an absolutely wonderful young man, so you must be a great mom! Cat

Thank you so much for posting the update, and thank God the tumor was benign!!! Cat

Anyone? Cat

I just read HappyGrace's thread about the biblical tie-ins for TOG Redesigned Year 1, and I have a similar question -- that goes in the opposing direction! I'm wondering if there's any way to lighten up the Bible portion of TOG Year 1 Redesigned. I don't necessarily want to totally secularize it, as I know that's probably not even possible. However, I don't want to teach ancient history entirely from a biblical point of view; I want to include secular resources as well. Thanks for any ideas anyone can provide! Cat

We use the BJU DVDs and are always completely finished with everything (including the written work,) before lunch. We use 4th grade, so maybe the lessons are longer for the upper grades? Cat Edited to add: The running times of all of the lessons are listed somewhere on the BJU website, or you could call customer service and they will give you all of the information you need.

I agree. The agent must have thought enough of your writing if she took the time to write a personal note... or at least that's what all of my bazillion "how to get published" books have said. I think you should consider it encouraging that the agent wrote the note. I also think it may be worthwhile to make a few phone calls before submitting your query to different agents, to see if they handle books like yours. Otherwise, you may be wasting their time -- and setting yourself up for a long waiting game to hear back from them, only to be disappointed in the response. Anyway, if you keep getting personal notes, it means your writing is good. You're just sending it to the wrong people (or you need to consider the possibility of writing about different topics if you want to get published more easily.) Good luck!!! :grouphug: Cat

I'll be watching for updates, too -- I hope he's ok! Cat

:lol::lol::lol::lol: I love that one! (But I'll bet the BIL wouldn't have understood what she meant...) Cat

I'm so glad to hear that I'm not the only one! Cat

Sue G -- thanks for posting the update. I honestly think you're handling this in the best way possible for your dd. I completely understand your post and how you and your dh are feeling about this, and I can also understand that your dd is truly remorseful. I thought you and your dh made the right decision about the trip, and I think your dd is lucky to have such concerned parents. I'm sure you will all find a way to work through your dd's anger issues, and perhaps much of her behavior can be linked to feeling lonely and frustrated about not having many friends. Maybe she also feels a bit "lost in the crowd" in a large family, or that her behavior is singled out because she thinks you want her to set a good example for her younger siblings? Does she feel that you're comparing her unfavorably to the other kids who have milder personalities? (I have no clue about any of this -- I'm really just grasping at straws here!) Anyway, you sound like a great mom to me, and I'm sure your dd is a wonderful kid, too. You'll find a way to make it all work; it just won't happen overnight. Personally, I am tremendously encouraged by the fact that your dd was genuinely remorseful for her behavior; it tells me that she's a good kid with a kind heart, who needs to find a better way to express her feelings when she gets upset. That's a whole different thing from a child that hurts others and doesn't care. Cat

My ds will be doing OM Fifth Grade, too! We're finishing up our BJU DVDs (well, "finishing up" may be a bit premature... ;)) and I can't wait for a change. Part of me is considering buying the BJU DVDs to use for a few subjects, just for some variety... and I already bought Tapestry of Grace Year 1 Redesigned, but it's Year 1, and I'd like to stick with American History, so I guess TOG will sit on the shelf this year... and I have tons of Sonlight that I kept buying even after it was clear it wasn't working for us (but the American History-related books could go along with OM Fifth,) and then there's WinterPromise American Story 1 (but I keep telling myself we could use some of those books with OM, too...) I am the Queen of Rationalization. I have to admit that using BJU DVDs was a no-brainer, and far less stressful decision-wise, because I could place the order at a motel meeting and try never to look at anything else. This forum, and any kind of book sale or curriculum fair, are my downfalls. I'm always finding the "next best thing," and once I buy stuff, I never seem to be able to part with it. Don't even ask me how many writing programs and history books I bought at our local used curriculum sale last month. (They were cheap and I couldn't resist!) Anyway, I'm more excited about Oak Meadow than anything else I've found, and ds seems to really like it, too. I have the third grade package (bought cheap on eBay) and ds just loves the Folk Tales book, even though there are no pictures. He actually brings me the book and asks me to read him a story... and this is the kid who hated read-alouds and would grab the book and say, "Just let me read it myself -- it's faster!" I particularly like the general philosophy of Oak Meadow, which seemed a little weird and new-agey to me a few years ago. After homeschooling for several years now, I've reconsidered a lot of my old, traditional views about education and I have to admit that I wish I'd used OM from the start. (At the time, it seemed "too easy" for my gifted ds, which in retrospect wouldn't have been the end of the world, and we probably would have had a lot more fun!) What have you been using? Cat

I hope we hear something soon. I have never had it take this long to get into a Yahoo group, and I really want to be a part of the OM group. It doesn't seem like the most popular curriculum (possibly because it's secular -- or because, at first glance, it can seem a little "new-agey?") and I could really use the support from an active group. I wish there was a way to contact the list owner to ask what's going on. I'd be glad to help her out in any way that I could. Cat

:lurk5: No advice here -- I'm feeling the same way you are, so I'm pulling up a chair and waiting for all of the wise words of advice! Cat

Forever. I am a pack rat when it comes to curriculum. I am also a complete idiot. :rolleyes: Cat

Well, I know I'm in the minority here, but I'm glad you didn't take away the trip. I don't think it would have solved anything, and you also would have been punishing your dd's friend, who (I'm sure) is looking forward to a great day with your dd. I wish I knew what to suggest as a reasonable consequence for your dd's actions. Honestly, I feel badly for your dh, as I'm sure that about 30 seconds after he punished your dd, he probably regretted it and wished he'd managed to control his quick (and understandable at that moment!) response to your dd's actions. Now, both you and your dh are in a tough position, because it's obvious that your dd can't be permitted to raise her hand to a parent, but it also seems that the solution should be somehow related to demonstrating respect for her dad. I keep coming back to the idea that maybe your dd and her dad could do something special together that's "work," but can still be a fun, bonding time for them. I just wish I had the slightest clue as to what that might be. It's difficult because you don't want to seem "too soft," yet punitive punishments often seem to backfire into creating more aggression. Good luck, and I hope you'll let us know what you decide to do. Cat Edited to add: Under most circumstances, I would have let the punishment stand, but I thought that, in this case, taking away the trip was excessive. Your dh really needs to think before he speaks, because it's so easy (for all of us) to make threats that we will regret 10 minutes later, and backing down on a punishment is not usually a good example to set.

Thanks, Audrey -- I hope I hear something soon! I wonder if the owner is accepting new members right now. If she's very busy, maybe she isn't even bothering to look at the new applications. I keep seeing that there are new messages posted to the group every day, and wishing I could read them. Thanks again! Cat

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: Cat

:lurk5: Anyone??? Cat

If he turns out not to be your 9 year old, let me know, because I'm pretty sure he could be mine, too. ;) Cat

I forgot about FIAR. Knowing it would work beautifully for us, I bought every single volume and scoured the used bookstores and eBay for as many of the books as I could get. We started by reading The Story of Ping. Once. Not the prescribed 5 times. Once. Because the next day, when I started to read it again (and very animatedly, too, I might add,) my ds asked me why he had to hear the same story again. I mentioned all of the fun, thrilling, exciting activities we were going to do each day. He was unimpressed. I tried dragging FIAR out a few other times, but ds had no interest. He enjoyed some of the books, but the FIAR concept (and activities) just didn't click with him at all. It was so depressing reading about all of those happy FIAR families on the FIAR forum, especially back then, when I was still new at the whole homeschooling thing. Cat

I would absolutely tell my friend. If she knew something similar about someone in your neighborhood, wouldn't you want her to tell you? Cat

I agree with the other posts so far -- he's probably hiding someplace warm and dark inside the house, and he is probably just fine. The problem with snakes is that even the large ones can seem to squeeze into the tiniest spaces. I really hope you find him soon! Cat PS. If you close all of the interior doors in the house and put the snake's favorite food into a big box (one in each room,) you can watch to see if the food magically disappears from one of the rooms. At least that might help you narrow down the location. Needless to say, if it's "live" food, make sure the box has high sides, or else you'll have even more creatures to search for...

Now wait a minute, Carol. Are you trying to tell me that there are pursuits other than shopping? ;) I would like to see a detailed list, please. :D (And SHHHHHH!!! Don't tell my DH!) Cat

Well, if he were a top-ranked player, he might be happy about it; otherwise, it might be very stressful for him, as he might think he had to live up to unreasonably high expectations. Some moms are ridiculously obsessed with rankings and perfection -- and having something to brag about -- and their kids often seem pretty unhappy. It's hard for them to live up to some moms' dreams and ambitions for them. Clearly, you're not one of those moms, and I think that's a very good thing. One of the reasons your ds loves tennis so much may be that it's fun for him, and isn't something where you demand perfection from him, so he's allowed to enjoy the competition without worrying that you'll think he's a loser if he's not nationally ranked. Some kids seem to thrive on tremendous competition and pressure, but many don't. Only you would know how your son would react to taking his sport to the next level. Of course, the money is a consideration, but I would be more concerned about the emotional aspects of getting involved in something that sounds very intense and competitive. It may be great for your ds, but it may not. Cat

I applied to join the OM_HS (Oak Meadow) Yahoo Group weeks ago, and my membership is still awaiting approval from the list owner. I have heard that the owner is very busy and that it can take a while for new members to be approved, but I'm wondering if anyone here is a member, and if so, how long did it take before you heard anything? I don't want to be a nuisance about it, but we've just started using Oak Meadow (in conjunction with the BJU DVD program we've been using for a few years,) and I really believe the OM Yahoo group could be very helpful to me. I'm starting to worry that my application is lost somewhere in YahooLand, but there doesn't seem to be a way to contact the OM group owner to check on my status. Thanks for any help or advice! Cat